Draft Guidelines Available

TheDraft Guidelines for Certification of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Systems according to the Waste Heat and Carbon Emission Reduction Act (AB1613), California Public Utilities Code Section 2840 through 2845 (publication # CEC-200-2009-016-D) has been posted to Docket Number 08-WHCE-1.

The draft guidelines detail the technical requirements that combined heat and power systems must meet to qualify as an "eligible customer-generator" of an electric corporation or as a "retail end-use customer" of a publicly owned electric utility.

Assembly Bill 1613 (Blakeslee, Chapter 713, Statutes of 2007) and amended by Assembly Bill 2791 (Blakeslee, Chapter 253, Statutes of 2008) is designed to encourage the development of new CHP systems in California when generating capacity not more than 20 megawatts. It directs the Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the California Energy Commission (Energy Commission) to establish policies and procedures for the purchase of electricity from eligible CHP systems.

The Act specifically directs the Energy Commission to adopt by January 1, 2010, guidelines establishing technical criteria for eligibility of CHP systems for programs to be developed by the CPUC and publicly owned utilities. The CPUC is directed to establish a standard tariff for the sale of electricity from eligible CHP systems to electricity corporations for delivery to the electrical grid. The Act also requires that a local publicly owned utilities serving utility end-use customers provide a market for the purchase of excess electricity generated from CHP systems at a just and reasonable rate.

Written comments on the Draft Guidelines must be submitted by 5 p.m. on August 4, 2009. Please include the docket number 08-WHCE-1 and indicate "Waste Heat and Carbon Emissions Reduction Act" in the subject line or first paragraph of your comments. Please hand deliver or mail an original to:

The Energy Commission encourages comments by e-mail. Please include your name or organization's in the name of the file. Those submitting comments by electronic mail should provide them in either Microsoft Word format or as a Portable Document File (PDF) to [docket@energy.state.ca.us]. One paper copy must also be sent to the Energy Commission's Dockets Office.

All written materials relating to this Rulemaking will be filed with the Dockets Office and become part of the public record in this proceeding.